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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22609702">Unexpected Development</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbluezero/pseuds/redbluezero'>redbluezero</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sword Art Online (Anime &amp; Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Falling In Love, Spoilers, i swear i bully recon throughout the fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:15:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22609702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbluezero/pseuds/redbluezero</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[Set post-Alicization, and hopefully during Unital Ring]<br/>Desperate to get a girlfriend before graduating high school, Shinichi starts being more pushy than usual. So when Suguha meets a girl named Ceba in Alfheim Online and starts to catch feelings, he is not at all pleased.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kirigaya Suguha | Leafa/Ceba (Sword Art Online)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Fated Birthday Gala</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Was reading the Reki's interview about Leafa and came across this part:<br/>"Yeah. I would like to resolve it [Recon &amp; Suguha's friendship] with an unexpected story development (laughs). I would like to bring some kind of conclusion in the new 『SAO』 series."<br/>Sent it to my buddy and he said "unexpected development where Recon fucks off and Sugu gets a girlfriend!", then followed up with, "Ceba should be the girlfriend!"<br/>So I wrote this crackship I didn't know I needed, because I had three substitute teachers today and nothing better to do. Oh, and for those of you don't know, Ceba is abec's OC from a short story written by Reki called Chromatic Colors. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Happy birthday, Speedaholic!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The large group of fairies cheered so loudly that their voices echoed in the hall. Then they devolved into smaller groups and began to chatter, all their conversations jumbling up as white noise. It was amazing to see so many people, but it caught Leafa a bit off guard. She found it hard to enjoy herself at her own birthday party, especially with all the attendees acting like drunkards. For a moment, she thought back to how all this happened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A month or so ago, she’d been strolling around Swilvane with her brother, Kirito. They made small talk in the midst of planning for their party’s next quest, and one such subject that popped up was Leafa’s birthday. On April 19th, 2027, she’d be turning the big one-eight. Unbeknownst to them, Sakuya, the leader of the Sylphs, had been within earshot. They should’ve expected it, given that Swilvane </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>the Sylph capital, but didn’t give it much thought at the time. So, Kirito let it drop that Leafa was going to have a milestone birthday, and Sakuya quickly went to work.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The result was the huge banquet that all three were currently attending. The current date was the 25th of April, a Sunday, because that was when most people were free. It was as if Sakuya had zipped down her entire friend list, because the amount of people gathered was astonishing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Or maybe me and big bro just have a lot of friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Leafa pondered as she leaned on a golden column.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hall was about the size of a theater, with a small bar near the back. The whole room gleamed with a versailles aesthetic, and three large columns throughout it held the curved roof up. The ceiling had a mural of fairies, possibly telling the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ALO</span>
  </em>
  <span> lore. It was beautiful, and Leafa knew she should be grateful, but she couldn’t help but feel… strange. After all, the celebrating players hadn’t even called her by her avatar name- just Speedaholic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was like she was a celebrity or something, and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> that. Did any of these people know her on a deeper level? Aside from Kirito’s party, probably not. Not being known for the real her was something that’d scared Leafa since way back in her days working with Sigurd. It was the reason she never roleplayed, and the reason she hadn’t returned to Underworld. According to Kirito, she’d become the patron saint of the orcs, and while that was touching, being worshipped </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrified </span>
  </em>
  <span>her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This fear must have been apparent on her face, because a Leprechaun player soon approached her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, not again, I can’t pretend to be a celebrity again, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Leafa grumbled in her mind. She braced herself for an onslaught of “I love your playing style!” “How are you so fast?” and other remarks, almost cringing. However, that wasn’t the case. The Leprechaun silently gazed at her, tilting her head, before finally nodding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something on your mind?” the mysterious fairy asked. Her light brown hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, loose strands of hair almost covering her red glasses. Her gear was plain, just a blue tunic underneath some shiny white armor. She didn’t look like she fought much; who was she again? Leafa thought back. This woman was… Ceba, a friend of Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon’s that she’d met in passing once. She seemed like a nice person, and probably got invited via Sakuya’s ridiculous connections.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhhh, no, nothing! I’m having a great time, I’m just a bit tired, that's all!” Leafa sputtered, trying to hide her disdain. She didn’t want to vent to an acquaintance that she didn’t like the party, that’d just be weird. But Ceba didn’t buy it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm, no. There’s clearly something on your mind,” she pried, nudging up her glasses with her index finger. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her gaze deepened. Leafa couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered, and struggled to find a response. Her mouth just opened and closed over and over, and she probably looked like a babbling baby. How embarrassing!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come with me, you seem like you could use a breath of fresh air,” Ceba sighed. With one swift motion, she grabbed Leafa’s arm and dragged her to a backdoor nestled in the left-most wall. She couldn’t even resist, and her adrenaline was up. It was like they were in a spy movie, and were making an escape. They sneakily stepped out, avoiding being seen, and found themselves on an open lawn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There, better? Not like you can breathe in these games, but it does feel a lot less stuffy,” Ceba said with a smile on her face. She gazed out into the distance, and Leafa followed suit. It was a beautiful landscape to take in; the sky was a muted indigo, with millions of stars shining above. The grass that seemed to stretch out for miles was short, looking recently mowed, and each blade of grass trembled with the breeze. It reminded Leafa of why she’d taken a liking to the virtual world in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She liked the feeling of being free. Being in that cramped hall, even if it was for her birthday, wasn’t freeing. It was suffocating! But now, standing outside with Ceba, she felt free. She started to smile as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it. See, you’re grinning now! Didn’t like the party?” Ceba asked, chuckling a bit. Leafa winced, and shook her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no, it was great! And I’m really glad that Sakuya went through all the trouble. It’s just a bit… overwhelming, y’know?” she explained, trying not to diss her friends. In truth, she had just wanted to hang around the log house with Kirito and the others for her birthday, but she couldn’t say that to Ceba. It seemed insulting, but the other woman just laughed more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I totally get it. I’m not the most social person either. I was on my way out myself, but then I saw you leaning on the pillar all gloomy,” Ceba explained, scratching the back of her head, “And so I figured maybe you’d like to join me on my escapade.” Then she sat down, and patted the soft grass next to her. Leafa happily plopped down beside her. She could hear birds chirping, almost singing a song. In fact, they seemed to set a certain tone…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, thank you for that. You’re very kind,” Leafa said softly, digging her boots into the soil. She stretched her arms out in front of her; she hadn’t realized how tense she was. It was nice to let loose like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you don’t have to say that. Actually, I don’t think I ever said happy birthday. So, uh, to another twenty years!” Ceba cheered awkwardly, pumping her fist into the air. Leafa’s jaw dropped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“T-twenty? You think I’m twenty?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? You aren’t? Sakuya was so sure that you were. Why else do you think she went crazy with the bar?” Ceba explained, blinking a bit. She tilted her head again, which only made Leafa more confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, actually? Oh my god. No, I’m, uh…” she began, before cutting herself off. Was it a good idea to reveal her age in a VRMMO? Probably not, but she’d already said she wasn’t twenty. There was no way she seemed older, so Leafa sighed and admitted,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I turned eighteen this past Monday.” Ceba’s face turned bright red at that. Her expression jumped between shock and embarrassment for a few seconds, and then she turned the other way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geez, this is awkward,” she mumbled so quietly that it was almost drowned out by the whistling wind. Leafa furrowed her eyebrows, as confusion greeted her yet again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is? We’re just two girls kickin’ back in Alne, what about me being eighteen makes it awkward?” she asked, not understanding why Ceba was nervous. But that question only made the Leprechaun bury her face in her collar further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was kinda sorta maybe trying to hit on you?” Ceba confessed into her shirt. Leafa froze, not sure how to react. It wasn’t that she wasn’t into other women; she’d come to terms with being bisexual during her first year of high school. She had even casually dated one of her clubmates, until they broke up because the other girl got jealous of her kendo skills. That was another reason Leafa hated being treated like a celebrity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait, was Ceba hitting on her for that reason? The thought made her sick to her stomach, and she wanted to go back inside. Her face must’ve scrunched up again, because Ceba began to fervently apologize.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I made it weird, didn’t I? Sorry, I swear I’m not one of those creeps who waits until the second someone turns eighteen. Oh, man, and you probably don’t even swing that way. I’m sorry, I’ll go, happy birthday!” Ceba fumbled, spitting out everything she had in her brain at once. It was less of a conversation and more of a rant. The Leprechaun fairy stood up and tried to walk away, but suddenly Leafa grabbed onto her sleeve. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why did I do that? </span>
  </em>
  <span>she asked herself. But it was too late now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, please!” Leafa implored, “It’s totally fine. As long as you’re not only into me for my, y’know, game status, I wouldn’t be… opposed to pursuing this.” Jeez, “pursuing”? She sounded like the lead in a shitty soap opera. She didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. All she knew was that her heart was pounding, had been pounding since Ceba first approached her, and she didn’t want the moment to end. Ceba smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I assure you, I’m not trying to mooch off of your clout. When I made up my mind to pull you out of the party, I realized it’s kinda like what they do in those romcom movies. And so I decided to kill two birds with one stone,” she reassured Leafa, making her laugh by being blunt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you didn’t even mean to make whisking me away romantic? I don’t know whether that’s digging your own grave or making it cooler,” she tittered, covering her mouth with one hand. She peered over at Ceba, giving a warm grin. It was the most flirtatious thing she’d ever done in her life, actually. She didn’t think that birthdays were a big deal, but she was beginning to doubt that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha, I hope it’s not the former! Let’s just say it was fate,” Ceba replied with a wink. Leafa felt her chest rise, her breath spiking and consequently jostling her avatar. Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>was real flirtation, especially since the concept of fate was oh so romantic to her. She wondered if Ceba had pulled this move with other girls before, but quickly shoved the thought out. For the rest of the night, she just wanted to happily chat with the Leprechaun fairy beside her. Their laughs flowed off to the horizon, and the sky soon became darker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leafa didn’t know how much time had passed when Kirito finally came to find her. She was so entranced with talking to Ceba that she didn’t even hear the Spriggan’s boots stomping down the grass behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sugu, there you are! We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Why’re you all the way out here?” a gruff yet childish voice grumbled. Leafa turned around to see her brother crossing her arms, sighing as if she’d mildly upset their parents or something. It was a face she rarely saw on him in the virtual world, anyway. She scrambled her brain to find words, but only managed a guilty smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, no wonder it’s called the love </span>
  </em>
  <span>bug, she thought. So Ceba answered instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m so sorry for stealing your friend for so long! We should get back to the party,” she apologized, bowing quickly. She brushed the hair out of her face and spread her wings, getting ready to fly back to the hall. Right before that, though, she gave Leafa a quick peck on the cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sugu, huh? Cute name,” Ceba whispered, and then took flight. Leafa couldn’t believe it. That was classy, that was cool, that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>awesome</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There simply weren’t any better words to describe the warmth she felt on her cheek. Even though it was a game, it felt very real. The senses that her mind recreated were even softer than the real life sensation she’d felt with her ex. That, or her ex was just a really shitty kisser. Either way, she was surely blushing. Ceba was very charming, despite the fact that she was shy. The time they’d spent together was quite entertaining, and she felt lonely now that she was gone. Leafa knew she wanted to talk to her again, someday… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>turned eighteen and you’re already getting all the girls, huh?” Kirito teased his sister, ripping her off of cloud nine. He had a snarky smirk on his face, as if to say “somebody’s in looove” like a little kid. She stepped on his foot, grinding the heel of her boot into his toes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up!” Leafa shouted, her heart racing.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reflection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Exposition chapter, I am sorry. Next chapter will definitely have more Recon to make fun of!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>But Ceba wasn’t the only one interested in Leafa. Or rather, Suguha Kirigaya.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The world surrounding her was no longer a fantasy forest full of fairies, but rather an industrialized city packed with tall buildings. In other words, she was back in the real world. It was Monday morning, and it was already beginning to look gloomy. The skies outside her window were a dull periwinkle, and she felt a bit cold despite it being spring. She glanced at her digital clock- she’d have to get out of bed soon, though she didn’t feel like moving. She just lay down, idly staring upward. On her ceiling was the familiar poster of her </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alfheim Online </span>
  </em>
  <span>avatar, Leafa. Suddenly, memories of the night before popped up in her brain.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sugu, huh? Cute name.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Suguha jolted up and scurried out of bed. She stumbled over some tissue paper that littered her floor. Right, her birthday had recently passed. The gift bags that her school friends had given her, which she’d forgotten to dispose of, still remained in her room. But she couldn’t care less about that now, not when she’d gotten the best birthday gift of all last night. Or maybe, it was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst</span>
  </em>
  <span> gift of all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d caught feelings. She’d most definitely caught feelings for the young Leprechaun woman with messy hair and a sweet smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, I’m already describing her with adjectives like that? Oh, man, am I hopeless bi! </span>
  </em>
  <span>She snatched her uniform off of the hanger and quickly changed into it. Such clunky and rapid movements were supposed to distract her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. Suguha raced to the bathroom to wash her face, especially her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Sugu, you’re up early today,” Midori remarked as her daughter ran across the hallway. A door slammed in her face instead, startling her. Suguha had never acted that antsy before. She was about to knock on the bathroom door when her son, Kazuto, trudged behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She had a romantic rendezvous with a gir- guy last night at her fairytale birthday bash,” he explained monotonously. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. If he said any more while this tired, he’d probably accidentally out his sister. That wasn’t a conversation that needed to be had at six in the morning. Almost as if on cue, Suguha exited the bathroom and tore down the stairs. Midori grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She sure is growing up quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk to school was even more dreadful for Suguha, because there were no distractions on the street. She frowned as she aggressively stepped on the pavement. Her shinai, in its case, clacked against her back. Maybe practicing kendo would help her take her mind off of things. Exercise was a good stress reliever, after all. So she jogged the rest of the way, as a warm up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she got to school, she quickly changed into her kendo gear and headed for the practicing quarters. She walked through the back door of the locker room and entered the large training room, then took her trusty shinai out of its case. With a deep breath, she got into a firm stance. It was time to practice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since spring had arrived, so did a new school year, and thus Suguha’s schedule changed. Her kendo training got moved to the mornings, and since she was a senior now, she needed to train harder than ever before. College was on the line, after all. Her thoughts almost drifted back to the night before, but the mention of her future in conjunction to video games sent her down an entirely different train of thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>College, huh? Time flies… to think I was in </span>
  </em>
  <span>middle school </span>
  <em>
    <span>when I first got wrapped up in the mess called the virtual world…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Suguha was in her first year of middle school when her brother, Kazuto, became trapped in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sword Art Online</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the world’s first VRMMO. She was grief-struck, of course, but she was also curious. Chasing for the answer behind her brother’s entrapment, she dove headfirst into the virtual world— and fell in love. There was something spectacular about being able to fly in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alfheim Online </span>
  </em>
  <span>endlessly. She felt amazing, she felt empowered, and she felt true to herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, it hadn’t all been fun and games. Her brother’s penchant for getting wrapped up into problems that weren’t his own really cost Suguha a lot of her mental well being. From beating a rigged video game to fighting actual humans in a man-made world, she’d pretty much seen it all. Now it was time to kick back, relax… and be a working member of society. Or maybe an Olympic athlete. Either worked, really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now, she even found herself falling in love again. But with a person, rather than a world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hiyah!” Suguha swung her shinai downward, and took one step forward. Her form was near perfect, and her weapon split the air with a loud “whoosh” noise. The sound was crisp and clear, and one of Suguha’s favorite sounds in the world. She smiled to herself; that was a good start to the day. She looked around to see if anybody else noticed, but soon realized she was the first one in the training room. Her sweet smile turned into a galvanic grin. She loved getting to school first because it meant she could go hog wild in practice and not have anybody judge her. So that’s exactly what she did, and the land of fairies faded from her mind…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until the bell rang and she returned to the locker room. Suguha changed out of her gear and fetched her bag from a locker. She had just slung her shinai, back in its case, over her shoulder when she felt her phone buzz from within her bag. Figuring she had time between classes, Suguha fetched her phone… which was a mistake. She had quite a few unread messages; no, that was an understatement. She grimaced when she read the name of the sender, as suddenly everything made sense: it was her friend from middle school and occasional party member, Shinichi Nagata.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suguha had known him for as long as she'd known the virtual world. The fact that she’d forgotten him during her trip down memory lane amused her, and she chuckled to herself. Shinichi had helped introduce her to the virtual world, serving as her mentor and then companion in the clear skies of Alfheim. He was in their middle school’s gaming club, and when Suguha became interested in VRMMOs, she asked him. Looking back, it was for quite a superficial reason: he seemed the nicest out of all the nerds. But this choice seemed to give Shinichi a ridiculous sense of pride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For someone who believed that all living beings were equal and deserving, man, Suguha was a bad judge of character. Shinichi was a nice guy, but he was also a </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice guy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was vaguely irritating when he aggressively hit on her in middle school, but the fact that he hadn’t outgrown his childish crush by now legitimately surprised her. They were much older, had seen a lot more things-- at least, Suguha had-- and yet it felt like no time had passed at all. What a strange phenomenon… but after all that reflecting, Suguha couldn’t say she </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated </span>
  </em>
  <span>Shinichi. Maybe— a loud “ding!” noise came from her phone, and a notification appeared on its screen. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Incoming LINE message</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Recon: leafa srsly where were you last night???? i feel like i only saw u once and that was when everybody was saying happy birthday. nii-san wont tell me a thing! tho maybe thats bc he’s in school, so sry for bothering u too i guess</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe she didn’t hate Shinichi in the long run, but right now, she really wanted to punch his skull in.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leafa: sorry i was practicing kendo but also that’s none of ur business!!!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Suguha smacked her phone into her forehead. After she went through all that trouble to ignore the frenzy of feelings she’d felt last night, here was this other guy, who was </span>
  <em>
    <span>also </span>
  </em>
  <span>interested in her, reminding her of it all. How complicated! Suguha stuffed her phone into her pocket, ignoring all the other buzzes coming from it for the rest of the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her day continued as per usual; going to class, doing her work, practicing some more. After a long eight hours, the final bell rang and she was released from school. Suguha smiled happily, excited to go back to the gentle lands of Alfheim and see Ceba again, when suddenly her phone began blasting its ringtone. Was it Shinichi? He’d been silent ever since the incident in the morning, so why? Then again, he didn’t have a set schedule for being annoying. Begrudgingly, Suguha took out her phone and picked up the call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” she asked snippily. A static voice replied to her,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Leafa, hey! We’re still on for today, right? I’m at the fast food place already. I hope you didn’t forget?” Shinichi sounded sheepish, almost as if he was bracing himself to get stood up. And had he not called, he would have been. Suguha’s eyes widened, as she suddenly remembered the arrangement they’d made the month prior: Shinichi would treat her to fast food for her birthday. Not like he didn’t already, but sometimes she paid for her own meals. Today, Shinichi would be going full simp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nooo, of course I didn’t forget! I only just got out of school, but I’ll be there in a bit. Thanks again,” Suguha lied through her teeth. She scrunched her face into a fake smile so hard that some of her classmates looked at her funny. Thankfully, the call didn’t last much longer, and Shinichi said a quick goodbye before hanging up. With that, Suguha scurried off to the fast food chain, and let muscle memory guide her.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Loads of Progress</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Suguha and Shinichi get fast food together.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am so sorry for not updating in so long, writing Recon was very difficult... Ceba will come back next chapter, which will hopefully be written much faster!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey, Leafa-chan! Over here!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suguha heard someone call for her the second she stepped through the doors of the McDonald’s. She sighed, as she wasn’t fond of being called by her username in the real world. However, at least she could be certain that her friend was in the vicinity. Shinichi was the only guy in the world with enough guts to pull that off and, sure enough, he was in a booth near the back of the establishment. He had a wide, goofy grin, and he waved his arm in the air as if to beckon her. His eyes gleamed behind his glasses; he was definitely happy to see her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suguha swiftly made her way to the table Shinichi had picked out and sat down on the soft, red booth with a huff. She glared at him, though he didn’t quite piece two and two together. He pouted for a moment, which made him look like an abandoned puppy, before it </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>clicked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, crap, sorry for calling you that, Suguha-chan. I know you don’t- AUGH!” Shinichi groaned, having had the wind knocked out of him. From under the table, Suguha had jutted her shinai into his stomach. The other patrons in the restaurant were blissfully unaware of her attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Kirigaya… and I’m also sorry for texting you during practice. You’ve only had the new schedule for a few weeks, which isn’t enough time to get used to the fact that you don’t practice in the afternoon anymore,” Shinichi groaned as he clenched his side. He was clearly exaggerating the pain, which made Suguha roll her eyes. She was also a bit bothered by the fact that he’d apparently memorized her schedule the previous semester, but that was not a can of worms she wanted to open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s nothing else you’re sorry for?” she asked chidingly. Shinichi hung his head low, guiltily, before pushing up his glasses and composing himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m also sorry for texting you a ludicrous amount. This was supposed to be your day, but I’ve probably ruined it…” he apologized sincerely. Since he was no longer yelling, be it in pain or to get attention, his voice had gone back to normal. He had a cool, low enough voice for a guy his age. It’d definitely dropped a significant amount since middle school. Suguha almost found it… impressive, but she had much more important things to think about.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can fix it by letting me order however much I want, of whatever I want!” she exclaimed with a cheeky grin. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands, still smirking as if to taunt her friend. Shinichi’s face turned pale for just a moment before he futilely agreed. His dumb, turbulent nodding made Suguha giggle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You got it, order away!” he replied giddily. His cheeks became flushed upon hearing Suguha’s laugh, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy revelling in the fact that she was single handedly about to empty Shinichi’s wallet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This year’s definitely one of my top birthdays, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Suguha thought merrily, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I get to gorge myself on fast food at Nagata’s expense, I met a pretty girl… Oh crap, now I’m thinking about Ceba again!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Su- Kirigaya, your face is kinda red. Are you sick or something?” Shinichi asked warily. His eyebrows furrowed as he hesitantly reached a hand over to Suguha’s. She was so distracted coming up with a diversion that she didn’t even notice it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I’m fine! I’m not sick, and I’m definitely not embarrassed!” she sputtered. She waved her hands around as if to cover her face, which reddened more by the second. Shinichi raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Embarrassed? I never said you were… Did something happen last night? You </span>
  <em>
    <span>were </span>
  </em>
  <span>kinda pissy when I asked,” he asked, putting two and two together. He leaned over the table and scrutinized her, trying to gather any more intel. That itself bothered Suguha enough to spit it out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A girl kissed me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not a first for you,” Shinichi said plainly. He leaned back into his booth seat and crossed his arms. He clearly didn’t understand how much of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very big deal </span>
  </em>
  <span>that was. Suguha had dated in the past, though was a bit of a free spirit. To him, it probably seemed like a repeat of that casual case.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Given that they’d been friends for so long, Shinichi and Suguha were (unfortunately) close. When Kazuto was trapped in </span>
  <em>
    <span>SAO</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he was there for her. When Kazuto was whisked away to Rath, he was there as well (along with a bunch of random car trivia). Shinichi was one of the first people that Suguha had come out as bi to. He’d accepted it easily enough and was quick to support her. They’d even tried to pick up girls together as a joke one time, which ended with the two of them laughing together in the very McDonald’s they currently sat in. That was the way things were between them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But this girl’s different! She swept me away from the party like a prince! Our conversation never ran dry, and when the party ended, she kissed me on the cheek! She was so cool!” Suguha rambled, clearly infatuated. As she spoke, her warm smile grew wider and wider. Meanwhile, Shinichi began to pout.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you ditched your own birthday party? She must be something,” he grumbled. However, Suguha was too elated to catch his disappointed tone and simply agreed with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She really is! I haven’t felt this light in a long time,” she exclaimed, “We’re going to meet up in </span>
  <em>
    <span>ALO </span>
  </em>
  <span>later, too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, so you’re seeing her again? Cool, cool…” Shinichi replied. He glanced away and sounded aloof. Suguha still didn’t notice. She was too caught up in a daydream in which Ceba whisked her away to some far off skies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, we should prolly get food, I’m a bit hungry myself,” Shinichi finally switched the topic. He stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small leather wallet. He opened it to showcase a wad of bills neatly pressed together. The sound of the crinkling paper caught Suguha’s attention and finally snapped her out of her lovey-dovey thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll take one of everything! Thanks, Nagata!” she announced. Her mouth was practically watering in anticipation. Shinichi watched her with a smile, a tinge of pink appearing on his cheeks.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The chapter title and setting are both based on a character interview done back when SAO was still a web novel. This is an excerpt from Recon's:<br/>"Q. You were really cool when you used that self-destruction magic! By the way, how has it been with Suguha since then…?<br/>A. There’s been loads of progress. We even went into Mac [McDonald's] with just the two of us the other day."</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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